I think a side splash is personal preference. I chose not to do one in my kitchen but think it would have looked fine if I'd done one.

Sounds to me like your unhappiness with the granite edge is a good reason to do a side splash under the microwave. I would do tile and definitely use the same material you use for the BS. I wouldn't do the 4" granite splash. Looks date and, IMHO, would look odd with a full height BS and then an 4" side splash.

Hard to tell from the picture, but the butler's pantry looks like it would only have one side splash (on the other side of the shared kitchen wall?). Again, I think personal preference. I don't think you'd need to do a side splash in the Butler's pantry just because you did one in the kitchen. If you could see both at the same time, I'd be tempted to do them the same. I'd go with tile here too.

As for the desk area, I don't think I'd do a splash there at all. I'd just paint. That area is outside the kitchen and won't be used for food. Don't think it needs a splash.

Your kitchen looks beautiful. Loved seeing all the pictures. Really wanted to see a close up of your baby though. :)

Thanks, Poohpup, for sharing your thoughts!

Yes, you are correct, the butler's pantry has only one side splash. I didn't realize I left that picture off. Here it is:

I'll have to include a picture of my baby later. :-)

My personal preference is side splashes anywhere that cooking and food messes are. I like to wipe everything up and don't want to worry about splashing on my walls, I like knowing my entire counter surface is water tight and I don't have to baby the edges.

I find nothing wrong with 4 inch splashes and in my current kitchen I have 5" Cambria all around with no tile. Just the simple lines I was looking for.

In the kitchen I was doing a year ago, I had one very long wall and I wanted to accent that wall with a busy marble tile. There wasn't a great way to take this marble around the corners particularly on one side so I opted for Cambria sidesplashes every where except that long tiled wall. The photo shows the side where the appliance garage is in the corner but on the opposite side the sidesplash butts right up to the tile.

In my last kitchen I did not do the side splash. It was more the tile setter than me. I would not tile the desk area in the event you want artwork or a message board.

I would do the side splash in the area below the microwave, because it looks like a cubby to me and the side wall is even with how the cabinet juts out.
I would not do the side splash on the butler pantry wall. I don't like splashes that go past the end of cabinets.
Of course all this is just a matter of preference, but sometimes if enough people agree, it is worth your consideration.

I never ever do side splashes if they're really not needed (ie no water source nearby). Personal preference.

can someone tell me if i should just have this side splash taken out because the tiler made slivers in the corners and they are crooked. the gc said he would make the wall level and tile over it -- i say rip the tile out, level the wall and leave it alone since his tiler has trouble with corner wraps.

it's hard to see but there are slivers of tile in the corner. he blames the wall for being crooked. also i hate the mitered corner. thanks for any help.

My vote is to remove the side splash.

I don't like side splashes. End it in the corner.

Agree. Remove the side splash.

thanks for your feedback; but have you ever heard of building up a side wall to cover the slivers in the corner? the gc says he is going to rip out the tiles on a side wall, "float" the drywall to build up the wall enough to cover the slivers the tiler left in the corner, and then re-tile it. here is a close up of the slivers.

another view of the slivers in the corner.

sorry i put up the same pic twice. can you cover slivers like this by building up the side wall and retiling to cover the sliver?? seems strange to me but what do i know? this is my gc's fix for the slivers.

Wow. Now I am so glad I watched closely the tiling project we just had. How unfortunate. Having work like this done is such a the dance between the worker and the home owner. Watch closely and you may look as though you don't trust the person will do it correctly. Don't watch closely and you may end up with something that is expensive and difficult to correct.

You might want to start a new post as some of the people that would have the expertise to answer the wall question may not look at this post. It's an old post & they may assume it's just a side splash question.

The slivers in the corner -no, that is not normal or acceptable. Don't let them grout this until it is acceptable. I'm wondering about the granite edge that abutts the side wall & if that has anything to do with building up the wall. Is there a gap?

thanks, yes there would be a gap and the gc said it's not possible. i have to keep the backsplash which never should have been done in the first place at this location -- no water source nearby. a design flaw on my part.

i'm settling for credits for the slivers.

live and learn.